HD vs. 4k for Digital Signage: How Important is Resolution?

One of the biggest advantages of using digital signage over static signs and poster boards is the crisp, highly detailed picture quality.

For some signs, such as those filled with text instead of videos or images, it matters much less. And to be frank, those aren’t the top use cases for digital screens anyway.

But for digital signs that feature dynamic content, which you should be using on virtually all of your digital screens, the higher the resolution, the better.

But is it worth the extra cost involved? Let’s dig a little deeper.

Upgrading Your Current Screens

If you already have a set of screens that are all 720p resolution, then upgrading to 4K will be a massive difference. Especially for displaying food items or products that are rich in detail, the upgrade will dramatically improve the quality and potential impact of your signage.

Better yet, investing in 8K screens, which offer even more technical longevity, would be an even bigger upgrade, albeit more expensive. With that said, the difference between 4K and 8K isn’t nearly as drastic as 720p to 4K. In fact, most viewers can’t even tell the difference.

Now, what about if you already have 1080p screens and are considering replacing them with 2K (the middle of the road between 1080p and 4K res). Although still significant, this is not nearly as big of a jump up in quality. In this scenario, you’re probably fine sticking with 1080p until 4K is more accessible to you.

Likewise, making the switch from 720p to 1080p at this point probably wouldn’t make enough of a difference to really justify the investment. Unless of course you’re also upgrading the type of display you’re using, and even in that case, you ought to aim higher than 1080p. After all, 1080p has been around for nearly two decades already. Now’s a good time to embrace the future and invest in something that you can use for years to come.

Commercial vs Consumer Displays for Digital Signage

Consumer displays aren’t built to be used 24 hours a day. Commercial displays are more durable and many can even be used outdoors.

If your current displays are causing problems or you feel the need to upgrade to prevent problems in the first place, then that would be an ideal time to also consider bumping up your resolution.

Adopting 4K Content for Your Screens

Although many higher end displays include the ability to upscale your current content and make it look better, it still won’t be in 4K. So after making the switch, make sure to create new digital signage content as well. Otherwise, you won’t be using the full potential of your screens, thus defeating the purpose of the upgrade.

For many of your content playlists, you can simply jump in and replace the image with a higher resolution image, or the video with a higher res video.

If your content is mostly made up of your team serving customers for example, buy or rent a camera that records video in 4K if you don’t already have one, and take new footage.

This is also a perfect opportunity to update your content itself. For example, if there is any technology featured in your videos, even in the background, having the latest is always a positive.

Conclusion

If you’re still using 720p, then upgrading to 2K, 4K, or even 8K will give you the opportunity to dramatically improve the quality of your content. Whether you’re selling products, offering services, or you’re an organization looking for support, the clarity and quality of your content really matters.

Make the switch if it makes sense. If you’re upgrading the type of display plus the resolution for example, that definitely makes sense. Or if you’re making a significant enough jump up, it’s definitely a good idea and will improve your content.

Lastly, if you feel you’re in an industry where even a minor improvement in content resolution will make a significant impact, then by all means, upgrade to 4K or even 8K.